her senses, dancing and rejoicing after a strange manner; then turning to the persons disguised like devils, she commends herself to their prayers, desiring them to make intercession for her with Deumo, that after this transitory life she may be received among his angels.  When all the ceremonies are finished, she takes leave of all her kindred, and then lifting up her hands, and with a sudden loud cry, she leaps into the flaming pit, on which her kindred cover her up with faggots of sweet wood, and great quantities of pitch or bitumen, that she may be speedily consumed.  If the widow refuses thus to sacrifice herself, she would be ever afterwards esteemed an evil woman, hated of all men, and even in danger of being slain by her own and her husband’s kindred.  The king is generally present at these ceremonies, which are not used at the death of ordinary people, but only for kings, priests, and great men.

Justice in strictly administered in this country.  Whoever kills a man is adjudged to die as at Calicut.  Proof of giving or receiving is taken by writings or by witnesses, the governor of the city being chief judge.  If any merchant stranger die there without children, all his goods fall to the king.  When the king dies, he is succeeded in the throne by his children.  The children of the natives divide equally among them all the possessions of their father.  When any Mahometan merchant dies, their bodies are embalmed with many sweet spices and gums, and being placed in wooden coffins, they are buried with their faces towards Mecca.  In their manner of writing they use parchment as we do, and not the leaves of trees as at Calicut.  Their vessels are a kind of shallow brigantines or barks with flat bottoms, which draw very little water.  Some also use foists having double foreparts[87], and two masts, but these have no decks.  They have also some vessels of large burden, even carrying a thousand tons, in which they have several boats, and these are used when they go to Malacca for spices.

[Footnote 87:  This is not easily understood, unless it may mean that they are so built that they may sail with either end foremost.—­E.]

Having finished our business at Tanaserim, we packed up all our wares and embarked for Bengal, distant 700 miles from Tanaserim, whither we arrived in twelve days sailing.  In fruitfulness and abundance of all things this city[88] may contend for eminence with any city in the world.  The kingdom dependent upon this city is very large, rich, and populous, and the king, who is a Mahometan, maintains an army of 200,000 men, including cavalry and infantry, with which he keeps up almost continual wars against the king of Narsinga.  This country is so fruitful, that it possesses every thing conducive to the use of man, abounding in all kinds of beasts, wholesome fruits, and corn.  It has spices also of several kinds, and vast abundance of cotton and silk.  No other region in the world is comparable to this,